Envelope



(No Model.) E E G. C. BILLUPS.

ENVELOPE.

No 516,045. Patented Mar. 6, 1894.

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NITED STATES GEORGE C. BILLUPS, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

ENVELOPE.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 516,045, dated March 6, 1894.

Application filed March 10, 1893- Serinl No4B5,385. (No model.)

ToaZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE G. BILLUPs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelopes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and nsethe same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in envelopes and in the method of manufacturing the same.

My invention has for its object economy in the use of the paper, and so forming, folding and gumming the same that there shall be provided means for preventing any fraudulent opening of the envelope after ithas been once properly sealed. And with these ends in view my invention consists in the peculiar form of the blank, its method of folding, and the provision made for sealing, all as willbe hereinafter and in detail explained.

In order that those skilled in the art may know how to make and use my improved envelope I will proceed to describe the same referring by letters of reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the inside of the blank employed by me in making the envelope. Fig. 2 is a similar view of my improved envelope ready for use. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the envelope properly sealed; and Fig. 4: shows on reduced scale a modification, wherein one of the end flaps is used as the closing or sealing flap and the opposite end flap is folded to provide the pocket.

Similar letters of reference denote like parts in the several views.

The blank is formed with two end flaps a, a, having oblique bottom edges a, adapted to overlap at their extreme ends as shown at Fig. 2. The bottom flap b is formed with oblique ends 0, c, and cut off at the bottom edge, d, so that when the end flaps a, a are folded over and cemented upon the said bottom flaph the oblique edges a of the end flaps will with the bottom edge d of the bottom flap 11 form an open pocket e (see Fig. 2) adapted to receive the tongue I of the upper or closing flap g. The inner surface of the closing flap 9 is gummed near its edge, as illustrated by the vertical shade lines shown in Fig. 1, and the tonguefis gummed on its outer surface so that when the gum is moistened and the envelope closed by inserting the tongue f within the pocket e the gummed surface of the flap g will adhere to the outer surface of the flaps a, a, and the gummed surface of the tongue f will adhere to the inner surface of the lower flap h, and it will thus be seen that while the exposed edges of flap 9 might be subjected to moisture and released from the flaps d, a, the concealed tongue f being cemented inside of the pocket e, would render it impossible to open the flap g without producing evidence of the fraudulent attempt at opening.

It is sometimes usual to form envelopes so that the sealing flap is at one end and in this case the bottom and top flaps overlie one of the end flaps as clearly shown at Fig. a and the pocket 6 for the reception of the sealing end flap is produced in precisely the manner hereinbefore described with reference to the other figures of the drawings, the only difference being that in one case the top and bottom flaps are arranged on the longest lines of the blank and in the other case on the shortest lines. It will also be understood that the pocket 6 may be formed by folding what I term the bottom flap over the end flaps instead of under the same, but this construction I do not consider as desirable or safe as that previously described.

I am aware that it has been proposed to form an envelope blank with a series of slits or pockets cut in the same and adapted to receive the ends of the bottom and two side flaps, and to gum the tongue of the upper flap on the outside so that it will cement with the under side of the bottom flap, but in this construction the bottom flap is necessarily made much larger than the bottom flap of my improved envelope, and it also becomes necessary to out in the same the series of slits or pockets, while in my improved form of blank no such operation is necessary, but on the contrary an open and perfectly clear pocket e is the result flowing from the form of the ope having two flaps with oblique edges a overlying a third flap with its edge 01 inter- 15 secting the oblique edges of the other two flaps, and forming a pocket 9, and a closing flap g formed with a tongue f adapted to enter the pocket e, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE C. BILLUPS.

Witnesses:

HENRY O. WATKINS, H. N. POULSON. 

